History Channel's 'Vikings' Summons the Rest of its Cast

With 'Game of Thrones' only satisfying us for ten weeks out of the year, and 'Spartacus' deciding to end the series altogether after the next season, fans of sword-swinging genre TV might find themselves a little starved for fresh blood. We've been carefully following the development of The History Channel's original series 'Vikings,' and now we've learned who'll play our hero, Ragnar Lothbrok! Who else has joined the cast to plunder and pillage?

Having previously cast veteran actor Gabriel Byrne for the series, now The History Channel's 'Vikings' has landed the rest of the cast on its shores. Travis Fimmel will take the central role of Ragnar Lothbrok, Viking hero of the tale, while joining him are Jessalyn Gilsig ('Glee') as Siggy, the wife of Earl Haraldson (Byrne), Gustaf Skarsgard as Ragnar's friend Floki, Clive Standen as his devious cousin Rollo, and Katheryn Winnick as first wife, and warrior Lagertha.

Set to debut in 2013, ‘ Vikings’ follows actual historical figure Ragnar Lothbrok, considered to be the greatest hero of his age. The series tells the sagas of Ragnar’s band of Viking brothers and his family, as he rises to become King of the Viking tribes. As well as being a fearless warrior, Ragnar embodies the Norse traditions of devotion to the gods. According to the report, “legend has it that he was a direct descendent of Odin, the god of war and warriors.”

‘Vikings’ will set sail in 2013 as a 10-episode drama from MGM TV and ‘The Tudors’ and ‘Camelot’ creators Michael Hirst and Morgan O’Sullivan. The series had been announced for development early in 2011, but was only picked up by The History Channel this past March. Hirst serves as EP along with Morgan O’Sullivan of World 2000, John Weber of Take 5 Productions (‘The Tudors,’ ‘The Borgias‘), Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer, James Flynn and Sheila Hockin.

In addition to the five new cast members, the series has also cast George Blagden as Athelstan, an Anglo-Saxon monk captured by Ragnar on his first raid on England.

What say you? Does 'Vikings' sound epic enough for your liking, or will it sink? Sound off in the comments below!